One of the (many) difficulties in traveling with infants and young children, is keeping them entertained. If the child is hungry or thirsty, often a toy, bottle or sippy cup will serve to provide the parent(s) a brief respite from the vocal displeasure of a cranky passenger. All too often, however, the solution to the crabbiness problem becomes, instead, a problem in itself. The baby repeatedly drops the drink/liquid-food container or toy requiring the non-driving parent to unfasten their seat belt and lean over the seat-back to gain access to the container or toy which is, doubtlessly, rolling around on the floor in the least reachable location possible. This procedure is both aggravating and difficult for even the most well-conditioned parent, as well as a distraction to the driver. Should there be only a single adult in the vehicle, the maneuver, to be properly and safely done, requires stopping the vehicle by the roadside to afford the driver free hands to access the dropped item. Depending on the traffic flow and neighborhood of the mishap, this technique may not be all that safe, either. An equally aggravating, if generally safer, time awaits the parent pushing a stroller through the mall with the added complication that the dropped item may go undetected for a number of stores.
Several attempts at dealing with this situation have appeared in the patent literature. Some of these developments ease the parent's difficulty of locating the container: they need merely follow the string which is tied to the car seat to its end and, voila!, there's the baby's bottle. However, the retrieval still requires the non-driving parent (if any) to unfasten their seat belt and rummage around in the back seat to restore the drink container to the child. Another problem which arises with some of the available bottle suspenders is that the shoulder strap connections and the bottle attachments can both be tampered with. When the child has drunk her/his fill and is looking for an alternate form of entertainment, these disconnectable devices provide an all-too-ready “toy”, defeating this supposed solution to the “bottle drop” problem.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a leash system for a bottle/beverage container which 1) maintains the bottle within easy reach of the child and, 2) can be easily converted to tether a toy, binky or the like. This is accomplished by having a short (on the order of 3-5 inches) leash which has a first portion that attaches to the seat belt harness or shoulder strap of a stroller and a second detachable portion that suspends the bottle, toy or binky in the area of the child's chest region. This keeps the item within easy reach should the elusive bottle slip from her/his grasp. In addition, the securement means attaching the leash to the shoulder strap and the latching means attaching the leash to the bottle are child-proof: either the clip is an alligator (suspender) clip, and/or the attachment is enshrouded with a Velcro-secured wrap which makes it tamper-proof. The second detachable portion is attached to the first by a side release clip, a middle release clip, a spring clip, a snap, or a button. Toddlers lack the manual dexterity and finger strength necessary to manipulate such devices and so the clip remains attached. This allows a bottle wrap to be replaced by a toy wrap. It is desirable that the elastic band forming the toy wrap be incorporated into the arms/appendages of a teddy bear or other stuffed animal so that the separated second detachable portion not become a choking hazard.
The present invention includes a leash system for a child's accessory, the leash system comprising a) a strap having a first fabric length with a first and second end; b) a first securement means for attaching the first fabric length to a fixed location, the first securement means comprising a tamper-proof clip; c) a second attachment band secured to the second end of the strap for securely attaching to the child's accessory; whereby the first securement means and the second attachment band provide a fail-safe leash system for maintaining the child's accessory within reach of a child. The tamper-proof clip is selected from a group consisting of an alligator clip, a center-release clip, a side release clip, snap hook, spring clip, swivel snap hook, snaps and buttons. Most preferably, the tamper-proof clip is an alligator clip. Also, it is preferred that the second attachment band is adjustable to accommodate different sized articles. This adjustment may take the form of the second attachment band being a stretchable elastic material to accommodate different sized articles. In addition, the length of the strap may have adjustment means allowing its length to be altered.
In order to remove the second attachment band from the realm of being a choking hazard, a toy is irremovably attached to the second attachment band should it become disassociated with the strap. The toy preferably comprises a stuffed animal whose arms are integral with the second attachment band. The stuffed animal preferably comprises a teddy bear whose hands may be the two halves of a side release clip or Velcro equipped to wrap around a toy or other article, such as a binky. It will be understood that a) the paws could terminate with side release clips or Velcro fabric strips, b) two pairs of paws could be used to grasp the toy or bottle and, c) that some stuffed animals (i.e., a kangaroo), can provide pouches to receive the article.
The leash system for a child's accessory of the present invention, includes a) first securement means for attaching the leash to a fixed location; b) a first clip securable to the first securement means, the first clip being attached to a first end of a first length of fabric, a first attachment band secured to a second end of the first length of fabric, the first attachment band being adapted to secure a first type of child's accessory; c) a second clip securable to the first securement means, the second clip being attached to a first end of a second length of fabric, a second attachment band secured to a second end of the second length of fabric, the second attachment band being adapted to secure a second type of child's accessory; whereby said first and second clips may alternatively be attached to the first securement means to enable the leash system to accommodate multiple types of child accessories. The first securement means includes a second securement means surrounding the first securement means preventing tampering with the first securement means. This second securement means may comprise a padded fabric band to ensure the child's comfort. The band of the second securement means is retained in a wrapped position by first and second portions of hook-and-loop fabric.
Various other features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description.